The Provincial Court of Nova Scotia is welcoming two new judges to its ranks. The Hon. Judge Aleta C. Cromwell and The Hon. Judge Perry F. Borden were appointed on July 9, 2020. 

Judge Borden’s appointment fills the vacancy created when The Hon. Judge Brian Williston retired in December 2018, while Judge Cromwell takes over for The Hon. Judge Michael Sherar, who elected to go to part-time status this past January.

“We are thrilled to welcome Judge Borden and Judge Cromwell to the Court,” said The Hon. Chief Judge Pamela Williams. “Being a judge is about more than just knowing and applying the law — it takes experience, compassion, patience and the ability to consider the views of others. I know both will embrace this new challenge with the same sense of fairness and commitment to public service that they have shown throughout their legal careers. This is great news for Nova Scotians.”

Judge Aleta Cromwell

Judge Aleta Cromwell of Shubenacadie East, N.S., graduated from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in 1998. She was called to the Nova Scotia Bar on Oct. 1, 1999, and later received a Queen’s Counsel designation.

She spent most of her career as a lawyer with the Legal Services Division of the Department of Justice. She worked for almost six years in Child Protection and Adult Protection and has provided legal advice and services for the Departments of Environment, Labour and Advanced Education, and Natural Resources, as well as the Nova Scotia Workers’ Compensation Board and the Office of Immigration. She has also served as one of three Team Leads for Family Law Teams with Legal Services.

As a lawyer, she has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Board for the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia (2005-2011); the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society Racial Equity Committee (2005-2011); and the province’s Employment Equity Committee (2009 to present). She also served two terms as an elected member of Council for the Barristers’ Society, representing the Halifax region.

Judge Cromwell believes strongly in supporting students and young lawyers. She has acted as a Principal to an Articled Clerk, mentored several students, Clerks and young lawyers at the Department of Justice, and earlier this year was seconded to serve as Acting Director of the Indigenous Blacks & Mi’kmaq Initiative at the Schulich School of Law.

Judge Perry Borden

Judge Perry Borden of Middle Sackville, N.S., also graduated from the Schulich School of Law, in 2002. He was called to the Bar on Nov. 7, 2003, and later received a Queen’s Counsel designation.
He started his legal career as an associate lawyer with McGinty McCleave in Halifax. In 2007, he joined the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service and rose to the level of Senior Crown Attorney by 2015, a position he held until his appointment to the Bench.

As a lawyer, Judge Borden served as a member of the Barristers’ Society Racial Equity Committee and was the current President of the Nova Scotia Crown Attorneys’ Association at the time of his appointment.

Both Judge Cromwell and Judge Borden have spent countless hours giving back to their communities and helping improve access to justice and legal services for historically marginalized groups. They were volunteers with the Courts’ Justice Day Camps for young African Nova Scotians and Judge Cromwell was one of the original members of the African Nova Scotian Access to Justice Judicial Committee, established in 2018 to help organize judicial outreach sessions in Black communities across Nova Scotia.

With today’s appointments, there are now 32 full-time judges on the Provincial and Family Court, including two Mi’kmaq judges and six who identify as Black or African Nova Scotian. More than half of the full-time Bench is female. There are also 11 per diem or part-time judges on the Court.